i was having a discusion w a friend of mine today about briggs engines. his opinion of them is that they are junk. just wondering what other guys experience is w briggs.

Merkava_4

03-30-2010, 11:45 PM

I've got a 1967 model 60200 mounted on my McLane edger that I use weekly. Granted though, it's been upgraded with a 3.5HP crankshaft & connecting rod, modern ignition coil, and new chrome piston rings.

afd226

03-30-2010, 11:52 PM

I have owned a few of the 35 hp on the XS exmark. I think they are good. We average around 1200 hours per season on each. I had a 34hp kaw. and traded it back to the xs with a 35hp. More power in taller grass and alot less fuel consumption then the 34hp kaw.

Petr51488

03-30-2010, 11:57 PM

I will pay the extra couple of hundred buck for a honda engine just because the smaller engines suck! Their larger engines aren't too bad, but i would prefer a honda over a briggs any day of the year.

Hawg City Lawns

03-31-2010, 12:29 AM

21hp els is junk i had one on a husqvarna tractor that i used once a week on a large commercial yard that i had i would run the ztr in the front of the and my father would help me out that day and do the rear with the tractor one day mowing along nothing different than any other time and pow blew it up less than 400 hours regular maintenance was always performed nothing wrong with the engine at all still have no idea what happend took it up to the local husqvarna dealer and he said everything checked out fine and it had plenty of oil but it had thrown a rod and cracked the block i donated the engine to their scrap pile kept the shell though and still have it id sure like to put another engine on it but id never put another els on it but i did have 2 murray push mowers a while back they had like a 3.5hp briggs pretty tough old engine and good ole mower

topsites

03-31-2010, 05:00 AM

It's all right.

bohiaa

03-31-2010, 08:39 AM

they never were a top end engine.

They will make small engines like a 2 and 3 hp that will last forever.

other than that stay a way from them

1993lx172

03-31-2010, 03:57 PM

I've got a 1966 3.5hp brigs on a 22" Western Auto Supply Wizard. It still has the original spark plug, and although it does use some oil now and then and the bottom seal is seeping a bit. This motor will not die (knock on wood), the only thing done to it has been to change the air filter, a shot of carburetor cleaner now and then, a carb adjustment now and then to fine tune it, and add oil. That's it.

The new ones are total crap. Anything under about 25hp does not come with an oil filter! I do some spring service work for a few neighbors now and then and the oil that came out of those 19-25hp briggs engines looked like water. I put the same heavy duty oil that I put in my stuff (casterol SAE 30) and the next spring it looked like it had been in there for 10 years.

1whitetail

03-31-2010, 05:33 PM

I have a 12 year old 6 hp briggs quantum that has never given me any trouble. I use it only twice a week though. I rather have a honda or kawasaki as they are quieter and easier to start.

tacoma200

03-31-2010, 07:32 PM

Two Vanguards (31 hp and 35 hp) with no problems. Low fuel usage for that size.

mowerbrad

03-31-2010, 09:04 PM

I've owned quite a few briggs engines in mowers and other lawn equipment. The best engine that Briggs makes is the Vanguard series, those are top of the line engines from briggs and are just as good as any other brand out there. My vanguard was a 20HP one on a leaf loader, ran smooth and was really strong. The Intek series from briggs, was a pretty good running engine, I had it on a lawn mower and that engine was actually pretty smooth running. It was a 20HP engine, and had plenty of power for what I needed. I've also had an ELS series engine on my bob-cat, it was a good engine for the most part, it wasn't the smoothest running engine in the world when idleing, but it started everytime and ran good at full throttle.

If I had to choose briggs again it would surely be a vanguard engine. But I'm more a kawi or kohler guy.

CAG80

04-02-2010, 12:50 AM

I have owned a few of the 35 hp on the XS exmark. I think they are good. We average around 1200 hours per season on each. I had a 34hp kaw. and traded it back to the xs with a 35hp. More power in taller grass and alot less fuel consumption then the 34hp kaw.

Thats a lot of hours per season!!! As a brand new owner of a scag tt with the 35 briggs, can I ask you have many total hours are you seeing out of the briggs before you need to rebuild or replace.

SharpLawnCare

04-02-2010, 01:00 AM

I just got a new toro z 597 d with Vanguard series and the mower is awesome. It use barley any diesel and i love it. i got only 15 hours on it but it great. so far :-P

doubleedge

04-02-2010, 01:03 AM

The Vanguard series is good, but the other ones are only for low hour use.

Hawg City Lawns

04-02-2010, 01:08 AM

I just got a new toro z 597 d with Vanguard series and the mower is awesome. It use barley any diesel and i love it. i got only 15 hours on it but it great. so far :-P

i thought those came with the daihatsu diesel

SharpLawnCare

04-02-2010, 01:59 AM

i thought those came with the daihatsu diesel
daihatsu is vanguard or briggs & stratton, i guess they just wanted to give it a different name. but it is a Vanguard motor.

Hawg City Lawns

04-02-2010, 02:08 AM

daihatsu is vanguard or briggs & stratton, i guess they just wanted to give it a different name. but it is a Vanguard motor.

awesome thanks for the info

joed

04-02-2010, 07:50 AM

The 6 hp quantum IC briggs I have on my lawnboy commercial has been pretty good but the 8 hp Briggs snow series engine I have on my ariens snowblower, which I just bought in October of 2009, backfires on shutdown. When I contacted Briggs about it, they said it was because these engines are made to run lean. I found that funny so I contacted them again. They said they'd take care of me and contact my dealer for me. That was in January. Haven't heard from them since. So much for customer service. Now, I'm stuck with a snowblower engine, that has 3 hours on it, and backfires on shutdown. So much for an $1800 investment.

lawnkingforever

04-02-2010, 10:33 AM

I don't have have a strong opinion one way or another on Briggs. They do have a very large share of the engine market. Because they have many more engines out there on the market, they are naturally going to have more complaints than other brands also.

Mowerman2112

04-02-2010, 12:36 PM

Have old push, Briggs 4.5 hp stills runs great, never been in the shop! Not for sure on larger or newer? Have Honda's to no problems, but syn. oil in all my stuff and regular maintenance.

STCL01

04-02-2010, 01:05 PM

On the smaller engines I have never had a problem. I have been through two of the 26hp ELS engines before they changed the air filtration system. Both engines dusted and are therefore dust themselves. No satisfaction from Briggs. I will not buy another. I understand that the Vanguard engines are good. Stay away from the ELS. I have a kawasaki on a blower, and kawa on my Hustler. Had Kawa on an old Yazoo mower. Never an issue. For me it's kawa.

intravino

04-03-2010, 07:44 PM

The 6 hp quantum IC briggs I have on my lawnboy commercial has been pretty good but the 8 hp Briggs snow series engine I have on my ariens snowblower, which I just bought in October of 2009, backfires on shutdown. When I contacted Briggs about it, they said it was because these engines are made to run lean. I found that funny so I contacted them again. They said they'd take care of me and contact my dealer for me. That was in January. Haven't heard from them since. So much for customer service. Now, I'm stuck with a snowblower engine, that has 3 hours on it, and backfires on shutdown. So much for an $1800 investment.

My Friend had a similar problem, he told me they replaced the muffler and the backfire was gone. Weird I know !